Conventionally, access to the internet is provided by way of a browser such as NETSCAPE™or INTERNET EXPLORER™ installed on a user's computer system. The procedure usually consists of a user opening a browser window and entering the alphanumeric URL (also referred to alternatively as a web page, web site, home page, internet address, etc.). In response, the browser locates the URL on the internet and displays its contents onto the user's screen, sometimes accompanied by audio information.
However, this conventional method of internet access may be considered to have various drawbacks, depending on the circumstances. For example, if a user desires to view the contents of two or more arbitrarily chosen Web pages, then a corresponding number of browser windows needs to be opened. Moreover, the desired web page must be entered individually in each window, either by typing or by accessing a directory of bookmarks. In an environment where information needs to be gathered from multiple sources, opening multiple browser windows is inconvenient. Furthermore, some web pages carry multimedia rich content which, if required to be viewed in real time, may consume bandwidth in excess of what is available, resulting in interruptions or degradation of quality. On the other hand, if the multimedia rich content is first downloaded to the user's computer, this may take an excessive amount of time.
Thus, it is apparent that there is a need in the industry for an improved software application which addresses the foregoing problems.